Apparatus for producing articles from pulp.



W. H DRAKE.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ARHCLES FROM PULP.

APPLICATEON FILED mu. 9. 1918.

'1 374,148. Patented July 30, 1918 2 SHEETS-SHEET L annuals:

WHLTER, H-DRHKE W. H. DRAKE.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUfiING ARTICLES FROM PULP.

APPHCATION FILED 21.9. 918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ARTICLES FROM PULP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1918.

Application filed January 9, 1918. Serial No. 211,016

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER H. DRAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Articles from Pulp; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to apparatus for automatically producing hollow articles from paper pulp or the like and has for an object to provide an automatic device for carrying into effect the process disclosed in co-pending application, Serial Number 177580, filed June 28, 1917.

A further object of the invention is to provide av device embodying a separable foraminous mold complementary to the exterior configuration of the article to be molded with improved means for injecting the pulpy fluid into the mold, producing agitation and ex elling the fluid carriage, leaving the cello ar material of the pulp adhering to the mold to produce the article required.

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism for operating in timed relation, the separable members of the mold,

the pulp injection and the injection of an "anhydrous fluid for expelling the fluid carria e.

1% further object of the invention is to provide a separable mold havin hinged sections with timing mechanism or opening and. closing the hinged sections, such timing mechanism also in proper timed relation, opening. and closing respectively valves controlling the introduction of the pulp material and air or like material for expeilin .the wate carriage and causing the cellu%ar materia to adhere to the mold.

With these and other objects in view, the

v invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangement of parts \as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of' the im roved apparatus in elevation, parts being roken away to show internal construction.

Fig. 2 is a view. of the apparatus taken atright angles to Fig. 1, also showing some parts broken away.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

As disclosed in the said co-pending application 177580, the process requires the use ofa foraminous mold indicated at 10, which here shown as cylindrical, is intended to conform to the configuration of any article to be produced and in the type of device disclosed in this application, to conform to the external configuration and from which mold contour the article itself receives its shape.

The mold indicated as a whole at 10, is composed of sections mounted upon levers 111, fulcrumed at 12. To swing the mold sections upon their fulcrums 12 and to open the mold to discharge the completed article, a sliding member 13 is provided, controlled yieldingly by a spring 14, tendin to hold the levers 11 with the mold closed y reason of the toggle links 15 pivoted to the sliding member 13 at 16, and to the levers 11 at 17.

As it is the pur ose of this apparatus to accommodate mol s of different sizes, it is desirable to make the section carriers adjustable, for which purpose, the fulcrums 12 are slidable in slots 18 and the pivots 17 are carried by sleeves 19 upon the links 15, with lock nuts 20 so that the levers 11 may be moved nearer to or farther from the axis of the mold without disturbing the inclination of such levers.

The levers 11 are provided with ribs 21 which are preferable reduced to knife edges where they bear against the foraminous material of the mold to offer the minimum resistance to the ejecting of the watery material through such mold walls, and at the same time, to support the walls of the mold against bulging or distortion.

The bottom of the mold 22 is carried upon the collar 23, which is in turn carried upon the lever 24, whereby the bottom section of the mold also constructed of fo'raminous material may be thrown to the dotted levers 11 are controlled by a lever 29, which is in turn actuated by, a cam 30 carried upon the cam shaft 31, so that as the cam shaft 31 carrying the cam 30 rotates, the lever 29 is oscillated by the cam 30, moving the sliding member 13 against the tension of the s ring 14, to open and close the sectlons of the mold carried by the levers 11.

In proper timed relation, the cam 32, also carried upon the shaft 31 engages the plunger rod 33, which controls the lever 24, carrying the bottom section of the mold to open such mold against the tension of the s ring 28. To provide for the adjusting ot tile lever 24, hereinbefore referred to, the plunger rod 33 is made telescopically as indicated at 34, a joint 35 being provided to compensate for the movement of the pivot 36 about the arc with the fulcrum 25 as its center.

To supply pulpcarrying fluid, a tank 37 is rovided communicating through a conduit 39 with the tube 40 which extends downwardly within the mold 10. .The tube 40 is provided with a telescopically adjustable extremity 41 whereby the discharge of fluid from such tube 40 may be controlled to be nearer to or farther from the bottom of themold. The flow of material through the conduit 39 is controlled by valve 42 which in turn is controlled by a plunger 43 engaged by a cam 44 carried upon the cam shaft 81.

Adjacent the structure, a container 45 is provided for heated fluid such as hot air, superheated steam or the like, with a branch conduit 46 communicating with the conduit 39 between the valve 42 and the mold 10. The branch conduit 46 is controlled by a valve 47 which is in turn controlled by a plunger 48 actuated by the cam 49, also upon the cam shaft 31.

If the mold is c lindrical of circular, the use of two side we 1 sections is found ample, but with the use of molds irregular inshape, it is found desirable or necessary to divide the mold into more than two sections. For this purpose, side levers 50 are provided substantially identical with the levers 11, fulcrumed at 51 in slots 52, similar to the fulcruming of the levers 11 and controlled by links 53, connected with the sliding member 13,. similar to the controlling of the lengths 15 hereinbefore described.

The entire structure is supported upon frame 54, which is of such size and struc- "tureas is necessary to support the various hereinbefore described parts, it being understood that if any part of the frame necessary to support a structural part has been omitted, it will be supplied in the usual well known manner.

In operption, the mold will be closed as indicated 1n the drawings, and the valve 42 will be opened by-the movement of the cam shaft 31 and cam 44 from the position shown at Fig. 1. The valve 42 remains open for a suflicient length of time to admit to the mold 10, suflicient of the pulp carrying fluid to su ply the requisite cellular material for t e purpose required, whereupon with the passing of the cam 44 from the plun or 43, the valve 42 will close. Substantlally simultaneously with the closing of the valve 42, valve 47 will be opened by the engagement of the cam 49, with the.

.will drive out the water or fluid carriage,

leaving the cellular material of the pulp adherin to the walls of the mold. The continue supply of hot air or steam will drive out most of the moisture from the interstices of the adhering pulp drying the formed article to a considerable extent, while yet contained within the mold.

While it is the prime object of the invention to produce containers, such as bottles, cans, boxes, and the like by the use of this apparatus, it is obvious that other articles, such as toys, dolls, human fi res and numerous other articles can lkewise, with equal facility be produced, depending upon the size and shape of the mold.

The article being thus formed within the mold of the required configuration to produce the article required, the mold is o ened to discharge the completed article by t e engagement of the cam 30 with the lever 29 connected to the lovers 11 and 50, and also the engagement of the cam 32 with the plunger 33, throwing the bottom section of the material downwardly whereby the article drops by gravity to any prearranged recelver.

The continued rotation of the cam shaft again closes the bottom section of the mold position and the side sections upon such ottom section, and the whole operation is repeated, it being wholly automatic in its action.

What is claimed is: v 1. An apparatus for the production of articles from pul comprising a separ ble foraminous mo] means to open and cose the sections of the separable mold, a source of ulp sup ly, means to control the flow of ,pu p from t e su 1y into the mold a source of anhydrous fluiii supply, means to control the introduction of the anhydrous fluid into the mold following the introduction of the pulpy material and means whereby the intro notion of e anhydrous fluid causes an pp y fluid into the agitation of the pulpy material contained in the mold.

2. An apparatus for the forming of articles from pulp, comprising a foraminous mold in separable sections, a source of pulp a conduit leading from the source of pulp supply to the mold, a valve for controlling the flow of pulp through the conduit, a source of anhydrous fluid supply, a valve adapted to control the flow of anhydrous mold, and timing mechanism adapted to actuate the mold sections and the valves in proper timed relation.

3. An apparatus for producing articles from pulp, comprisinga foraminous mold in separable sections, means to open and close the sections of the mold, a source of pulp supply, means to control the flow of pulp into the mold after the closing of the sections, a source of anhydrous fluid supply and means'to control the introduction of anhydrous fluid into the mold after the introduction of the pulp and means to control the several controlling means.

4. An apparatus for producing articles from pulp, comprising a foraminous divisible mold, a timing mechanism adapted to open and close the mold, a source of pulp supply, a conduit leading from the source of supplyio the mold, means actuated by the timin mechanism for introducing pulpy material to the mold after the closing of such mold, a source of anhydrous fluid supply, means actuated by the timing mechanism for controlling the introduction of anhydrous fluid into the mold after the interruption of pulp, and means to interrupt the introduction of anhydrous fluid preceding the opening of the mold.

5. An apparatus for fproducing articles from pulp, comprising a o raminous mold in separable sections, leverscarrying the sections of the mold, a timing mechanism embodying a cam adapted to actuate the levers toopen and close the mold sections, a source of pulp supply, a source of anhydrous fluid supply, and means to introduce the pulp supply and the anhydrous fluid supply to the mold successively.

6. An apparatus for producing articles from pulp, comprising a plurality of levers adjustable toward and from the axis of the mold, mold sections carried by means to actuate the levers, and means to successively introduce pulp and anhydrous fluid under pressureto the mold in its closed condition.

7. An apparatus for producing articles from pulp, comprising a mold of separable foramlnous sections, means to close mold to correspond in configuration to the article to be produced, a pipe-extending downwardly into the mold, means to adjust the extremity of the pipe to a osition nearer to or farther from the top of t e mold.

8. An apparatus for producing articles from pulp, comprising a mold of foraminous sections, a pipe extending downwardly into the mold and a telescoping section carried at the end of the pipe.

9. An apparatus for producing articles from pulp-comprisin a foraminous mold, a pipe extending into t e mold and terminating at a point short of the opposite wall of the mold, a telescopic section carried by the pipe, adapted to vary the distance between the extremity and the o posite wall, means to introduce pulp into tlib mold, and means to simultaneously exert agitation and pressure upon the pulpy content.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WALTER H. DRAKE.

the levers, 

